NFT Marketplace OpenSea Blocks Multiple Users After U.S Sanction

• NFT marketplace, OpenSea has begun blocking users based in Iran, according to complaints by multiple collectors and creators on the platform

• The development has raised debates about decentralization in the crypto space and international sanctions which have been issued in some countries recently

• Iran is on the United State’s sanction list and the sanction prevents American companies from providing services to users in sanctioned countries

The world’s largest NFT marketplace, OpenSea is reportedly blocking Iranian users from its platform, sparking outrage on social media. Many Iran-based users have complained on social media, that they are unable to access their NFT accounts.

On Thursday several collectors and creators reported that their OpenSea accounts were deactivated or deleted without the company giving them prior warning.

According to Coindesk, a representative of the company has confirmed that the users were banned because they were using its services from sanctioned nations.

A part of the statement from the spokesperson of the NFT company reads:

“OpenSea blocks users and territories on the U.S sanctions list from using our services- including buying, selling, or transferring NFT… our Terms of Service explicitly prohibit sanctioned users or users in sanctioned territories from using our services,”

The ban has raised fresh discussions about the importance of decentralization in the cryptos space and popular Web 3 platforms.

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OpenSea is a U.S based company, with its headquarters in New York, and as such the company is compelled to follow laws pertaining to operation in the United States.

It is also worth noting that the Iranian government is on the U.S’s sanction list and the sanction prevents U.S companies from providing goods or services to countries on the list.

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